Las Vegas, 5 Jan

A 27-year-old Indian woman, who was reported missing last week, was found dead and police are looking for her former boyfriend, alleging that he killed her and fled to India.

Nikitha Godishala of Ellicott City was reported missing on 2 January. Howard County police said in a statement on Sunday that she was found deceased with stab wounds in the Columbia, Maryland apartment of her ex-boyfriend, Arjun Sharma, 26.

Police have obtained a warrant for Sharma’s arrest on first and second-degree murder charges.

The Indian Embassy in Washington, DC, said in a post on X that it is in contact with Godishala’s family and is extending all possible consular assistance.

“The Embassy is also following up on the matter with the local authorities,” it said.

Authorities said that Sharma made the missing person report to police and said he last saw Godishala on 31 December in his apartment in the Maryland city.

Police later learned that on the same day as making the report, 2 January, Sharma left the country on a flight to India. The next day, detectives executed a search warrant for his apartment and located Godishala's deceased body.

Through investigation, detectives believe Sharma killed Godishala shortly after 7 pm on 31 December.

The investigation is ongoing and no motive is known at this time, Howard County police said, adding that they are working with United States federal law enforcement to locate and arrest Sharma.